Department of Health

NHS Technology

lord o'shaughnessy: I am today publishing the Government response to the public consultation on the National Data Guardian for Health and Care’s (NDG) and Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) data security reviews. A copy of the response is attached and available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/new-data-security-standards-for-health-and-social-careBoosting cyber resilience, improving the response to data and cyber incidents and providing clarity on the handling of personal data remain an urgent priority for the health and care sector.Following consultation which closed on 7 July 2016, the Government accepts the recommendations from the two independent data security reviews published in 2016.Through the consultation, we heard broad support for Dame Fiona Caldicott’s recommended data security standards and opt-out model, alongside a clear message that we need to carefully think through and approach all elements of implementation. Other key themes in the responses to the consultation related to the need to build public trust through providing clarity and communicating clearly with the public and professionals.The global WannaCry ransomware attack in May 2017, which affected many other countries’ services as well as our own health and care system, has reaffirmed the potential for data and cyber incidents to impact directly on patient care, as well as the need for our health and care system to act decisively to minimise the impact on essential front-line services.The Government response includes wide-ranging plans to strengthen organisations across the NHS and social care against the threat of global cyber-attacks.The immediate and longer-term actions are centred on ensuring local organisations are implementing the 10 data security standards proposed in the NDG review, supported by the national cyber support services provided by NHS Digital, backed up by clear contractual obligations, and by assurance and regulatory action.Investment in data and cyber security will be boosted above £50 million and will include a new £21 million capital fund which will increase the cyber resilience of major trauma sites.NHS Digital is already supporting local organisations by broadcasting alerts about cyber threats, providing a hotline for dealing with incidents, sharing best practice across the health and care system and carrying out on-site assessments to mitigate against cyber security.The NHS contract now requires NHS organisations to implement and adopt data security standards as recommended by the independent NDG for Health and Care.Chief executives will also be held to account for standards that are being implemented and maintained and this will be assessed during inspections by the Care Quality Commission from September this year.The Government’s response also includes steps to give patients and the public more access to, and control over, their personal data while building confidence in the importance of secure data to provide better individual care and treatment, as well as supporting research and planning across the health system.As the Chief Medical Officer’s recent report on genomics showed, better use of data and technology has the power to improve health outcomes, deliver better patient experience, transform the quality of care patients receive and support improvements across the health and social care system – now and in the future. Staff and patients will benefit from reduced bureaucracy, freeing up more time for patient care, and leading to more accurate diagnoses and more personalised treatment.I want to thank Dame Fiona Caldicott, her team and the Care Quality Commission for their important and considered reviews and recommendations, which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-data-security-consent-and-opt-outshttp://www.cqc.org.uk/content/safe-data-safe-care



NDG Government Response
(PDF Document, 1.01 MB)





This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
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Home Office

Extremism

baroness williams of trafford: My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Amber Rudd) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:I am today announcing the main findings of the Home Office’s internal review into the nature, scale and origin of the funding of Islamist extremist activity in the UK, including any overseas sources. The review was commissioned by the former Prime Minister, David Cameron, on 30 November 2015. It gives us the best picture we have ever had of how extremists operating in the UK sustain their activities. The review did not include either the funding of terrorism (which is a better understood area) or funding of extremism overseas from UK sources.Having taken advice, I have decided against publishing the classified report produced during the review in full. This is because of the volume of personal information it contains and for national security reasons. We will be inviting privy councillors from the opposition parties to the Home Office to have access to classified report on privy council terms.The main finding of the review is as follows:i. The most common source of support for Islamist extremist organisations in the UK is from small, anonymous public donations, with the majority of these donations most likely coming from UK-based individuals. In some cases these organisations receive hundreds of thousands of pounds a year. This is the main source of their income. Those giving may not know or support the organisations’ full agenda.The review also made the following findings:ii. Some Islamic organisations of extremist concern portray themselves as charities to increase their credibility and to take advantage of Islam’s emphasis on charity. Some are purposefully vague about their activities and their charitable status.iii. Regulation can be effective in improving transparency. There is some evidence of organisations of extremist concern seeking to avoid regulatory oversight.iv. For a small number of organisations with which there are extremism concerns, overseas funding is a significant source of income. However, for the vast majority of extremist groups in the UK, overseas funding is not a significant source.v. Overseas support has allowed individuals to study at institutions that teach deeply conservative forms of Islam and provide highly socially conservative literature and preachers to the UK’s Islamic institutions. Some of these individuals have since become of extremist concern.Fundamentally, no single measure will tackle all the issues of concern raised in the review. A comprehensive approach focused particularly on domestic sources of support for all forms of extremism is needed. The Government has looked carefully at the review’s findings and will build on existing work by:Continuing to deliver public awareness campaigns to encourage people to understand the full aims of the organisations that they give to, reducing the amount of funding organisations of extremist concern are able to raise from the public in the UK.Raising awareness across the financial services sector and grant making trusts and foundations of extremism concerns. These organisations have an interest in ensuring they are not inadvertently supporting extremist individuals or organisations.Reducing the ability of organisations of extremist concern to avoid official scrutiny by increasing the proportion of organisations subject to regulatory oversight. We are strengthening our work with the Charity Commission, which includes addressing the abuse of charities for terrorist or extremist purposes as one of its strategic priorities.The Charity Commission will be introducing a requirement on charities to declare overseas funding sources. The Commission has been discussing this issue with charities over recent months.Directly raising issues of concern, supported by evidence, with specific countries as part of our wider international engagement on countering extremism and violent extremism.


This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
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Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Finances

lord bourne of aberystwyth: My Right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (James Brokenshire) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:In my Statement to the House on 3 July, I made clear that the UK Government will always uphold its ultimate responsibilities for political stability and good governance in Northern Ireland. With that in mind, I have been keeping under review the financial situation in Northern Ireland absent an Executive. Having reflected on the situation, and following further advice from the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, I have concluded that it will be necessary for me to provide additional clarity ahead of the summer recess to support Northern Ireland Permanent Secretaries in addressing financial pressures and maintaining public services. Following the public holidays in Northern Ireland this week, I therefore, intend to lay a further Written Statement before the House next week with adjusted indicative Budget positions and departmental allocations. This will take account of the Barnett consequentials arising from the Spring Budget, and funding as may be available from budget transfers and updated forecasts.


This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
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